Failures by the Victorian government in caring for a vulnerable 12-year-old girl charged with fatally stabbing a woman in Melbourne last year are now being investigated by the state’s children’s commissioner.
WARNING: This story contains content relating to the sexual abuse of minors.
The girl was in state care when she was charged with murder in November and the case has thrown a spotlight on Victoria’s child protection system.
The child’s troubled past has been laid bare in court including that in the three years prior to being charged with murder she was reported missing from care 275 times. She had also been subjected to physical and sexual abuse.
She’d been reported missing from care at the time of the alleged murder.
In an exclusive interview, Victoria’s Commissioner for Children and Young People Liana Buchanan told 7.30 she’s launched an inquiry into the circumstances that led up to the 12-year-old girl being charged.
“By the time we initiate an inquiry like this, we have fairly significant concerns,” Ms Buchanan said.
Individual inquiries into the care of a specific child are uncommon with fewer than five investigations launched by the commissioner each year.
“There has been enough in the information provided to me and in the information that I’ve seen in the media, that I have initiated an inquiry, and we’ll look at the responses to that child,” she said.
The commissioner has the power to initiate inquiries and compel information from departments and agencies, however under legislation her full findings will be handed to the Minister for Children and Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and other relevant ministers.
In this case it’s expected the commissioner will also share the report with Victoria’s police, health and mental health ministers.
Staggering number of children abused, commissioner says
In 2021, Ms Buchanan provided the state government detailed evidence of a staggering number of children in residential state care being sexually abused.
“We tabled a report detailing how common this is,” Ms Buchanan said.
7.30 can reveal in the last nine months there have been 125 reports made to the commission of children and young people about children in the residential care system being subjected to sexual exploitation.
The reports related to 56 children as young as 11 years of age.
“They are being victimised, through sexual exploitation in some of the most horrendous ways,” Ms Buchanan said.
“The numbers are appalling, and what happens to those children when they’re away from care, and when they’re being victimised is shocking.”
“Sexual exploitation is almost a bit of a euphemism, what we’re talking about here are children who are being sexually assaulted, and raped in exchange for drugs or money,” Ms Buchanan said.
Ms Buchanan was also critical of the police response to notifications children were being sexually exploited.
“At its worst, this is serious, networked offending, where predators are looking out for particularly vulnerable children and preying on them,” Ms Buchanan said.
“So of course … there should be the highest level of policing response. Unfortunately, that’s not what we’ve seen in the past.”
“If my children or your children were going missing from home, if they were being sexually abused while they were missing, if they were being given drugs, if they were being in some cases, brought into criminal offending and exploited in that way, then we would expect and I think we would see a serious immediate response.
“That’s what we need for these children.”
In a statement the Victorian government said allegations relating to the sexual exploitation of children in care were referred immediately to police.
“The exploitation of children in out-of-home care by perpetrators in the community is unacceptable,” a state government spokesperson said.
The spokesperson also pointed out the significant funding allocated in recent budgets to the child protection system.
“The Victorian Budget 2023/24 invested more than $535 million towards giving children in residential care the support they need – with a safe and secure place to call home and specialised care for their social and emotional wellbeing.”
Victoria police said in a written statement that protecting children from exploitation is a top priority and that over 10,000 officers had undertaken training aimed at disrupting child exploitation.
“We strongly reject any suggestion Victoria Police does not take the sexual exploitation of children in residential care seriously,” Assistant Commissioner Family Violence Command Lauren Callaway said.
“Victoria Police was the first law enforcement agency in Australia to provide a statewide specialist response to crimes involving sexual offences and child abuse.
“Since the Commission for Children and Young People’s Out of Sight inquiry we have rolled out mandatory training to help police identify and respond to children at risk.”
‘State is a terrible parent’
The state’s first ever children’s commissioner Bernie Geary raised the alarm even earlier. In 2015 he warned the Victorian government that children under state care were being sexually exploited.
“The state is a terrible parent, and when a child is parented badly, we can’t expect anything positive to come out of that,” Mr Geary told 7.30.
“It was rife, rife … these children are basically fodder for those who live in the community, [and] are allowed to live in a community who just are looking to profit by the use of these children sexually, or in other ways.”
“The state is well aware of what happens to young people in residential care,” he said.
“Not enough is being done.”
Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV